Page 66 of Love Me Fearless

I peel my banana and down it in two bites, then head for the entryway and slide on my coat and boots. Dylan moves quickly, falling in next to me on the path.

“You from Seattle?” I ask.

“No, sir.”

I give him a quick glance.

“I grew up not too far from here, actually. Penny Creek.”

“No shit?” Penny Creek is closer to central Idaho, near the famous Sawtooth Mountains. In the winter, it’s the coldest valley of the state, sometimes the coldest place in the country. “They play a lot of hockey there?”

“It’s popular,” he says. “My family plays.”

“You have brothers?”

“Three. And three sisters.”

My respect for this kid is growing by the minute. “No wonder you’re so quiet.”

He proves my point by not making a sound.

“What position do you play?”

“Right wing.”

Meaning he’s lightning-fast and good at scoring. I put the noises I overheard coming through the walls of Thea’s room out of my mind. “You want horses or chickens and pig duty?”

“The last two.”

“Does your family have animals?”

“My sister Annika raised chickens. We had a few pigs too.”

I turn him loose and continue to the barn to findAva.

She’s just coming out of Taffy’s stall, the light streaking in from the doorways catching the alfalfa dust in the air.

She pauses for an instant, her eyes unreadable, then slips into Rio’s stall opposite. I walk over and lean against the doorway, watching her bend over Rio’s left front leg to pick his hoof. For someone lacking in brawn, she sure makes up for it in confidence. Something I’ve always loved about her.

“How do you get him to do that?” I ask as she sets Rio’s leg down. “When I try, he seems to put even more weight on the leg I want him to lift.”

Ava ducks under Rio’s neck to tend to the other leg. “Get over here and I’ll show you.”

I know touching her is out of line, but with her bent over like that, I cannot be responsible for my actions. “You look cute when you’re compromised,” I say, closing the distance between us.

With a huff, she straightens and lowers the horse’s leg. He stomps and jerks his head. I feed him a chunk of carrot I snitched from the crisper. His soft lips tickle my palm as he plucks it from me and starts chewing.

Ava swipes the coffee from my hands and nods for me to stand where she was. In three simple instructions, I have the horse’s knee braced on my thigh and his hoof cradled in my left hand.

“Impressive.”

She passes me the pick and I get to work.

“How is it having Thea home?”

“Noisy. I don’t think she and her boy toy got much sleep.”

Ava snorts, like I caught her between sips. “Maybe you can grab a nap later.”

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